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Trys was actually in a pretty good mood that morning. She had woken up out of a dream of 1s and 0s randomly sorting through her head. It had seemed almost like an amusing infomercial. She woke up smiling and continued to smile, if only a little, as she dressed, ate, and headed to the Engineering section for some work.

She was quite early but that wasn’t terribly unusual so she decided it was a good time to check her Padd. She wasn’t one to normally check it all the time but occasionally she was given assignments or had an email from one of her siblings. She settled into her station and looked at the device. Immediately her attention was drawn to the one personal communication she had gotten. Delight flooded thru her. It was from Suki; one of her friends at the academy. Well, they had both graduated but Suki had kept in touch. She didn’t have many friends but Suki had been there for her throughout their Academy days and they still spoke frequently.

She started reading and then her breath caught. This...wasn’t from Suki…

Dear Tryssaria, We regret to inform you that our daughter, Hansuki Jal Keil has been killed in action onboard her maiden flight on the USS Integrity. In accordance with her last wishes, we are informing you as one of her friends. She wished us to send you a small note and the password to her favorite music collection so that you could enjoy it as you both did so often at the Academy. It is our hope that you find this comforting and that you will keep in contact with us as you desire.

Reedarius and Jaylen Keil

Trys didn’t even realize that tears were flowing down her face until she closed the message and sat there for a few minutes reliving the fun that she and Suki had enjoyed. Listening to music had always been their passion; it didn’t really matter what KIND. They had listened to every race in the Federation and even snuck in obscure Betazoid chimes from some of her favorite composers and Klinging drinking songs.

She wiped the tears from her face and tried not to sniffle as she realized she would never see her friend again. It was nice of them to send her the note; she had only met Suki’s parents once. She thought about tapping the note but she was pretty sure that she’d be outright sobbing then and she needed to wait until she got back to her quarters for that. She tried to focus on work but kept on finding herself just sitting there, staring into space, and missing her friend.

Pamela had been out of her office today, she needed a break from those four walls. But also Andrus had wanted to speak to her so she'd gone to him for a few moments. The pair had their own conversation without spoken words, going back and forth for most of it to avoid others from overhearing it.

After some time she left the male, with a gentle hug before she turned to leave. No one else would understand the gesture of affection between the pair but they didn't need to. To everyone else she was just the ship's psychiatrist, some might have known that she had a history with the Bariel siblings but few knew to what extent. And quite frankly she was happy to keep it that way.

As she left Andrus' side she felt a strong wave of emotion was over her. It was almost enough to knock her backward. Touching the wall she steadied herself then turned her head towards one with the strongest emotions. Another like herself and the Bariel's, not that her species mattered. But Pamela noted that fact as she reached out her own mind, touching Tryssaria's gently.

For a second she didn't speak but finally, she did, even then the words as the had been with Andrus were mental, Do you need to talk? In Pamela's mind, there was no room for question, she'd force the girl out of the room if she had to. But either way, she knew she couldn't stay here and do her job properly, not in her current state. "Commander, I'm taking Ensign Aril with me for a moment." The Commander gave a nod as Pamela touched Tryssaria's shoulder gently giving a reassuring nod of her own.

Tryssaria had felt another touch her mind and she shored up her barriers instinctively before realizing how absurd that was. She tried to relax but it was hard sometimes to express emotion when she didn’t really know someone. In spite of what most Betazoids seemed to think, she wasn’t an insta-friend.

I…I… Trys tried to slow down and THINK before she responded to the other woman. My friend. She finally stated silently. I just found out she died. I’m sorry if I was….loud. She looked down at her feet. She wanted to argue about leaving work but she knew she wasn’t REALLY getting anything done. Maybe that was a good thing.

“I…w….w…won’t be long, C…commander.” Trys told her boss. “I’ll be back s…soon.” She stood up and followed Pamela out into the hallway. She felt an aching sadness fill her and didn’t really want to talk about it. However, she knew she had to talk to SOMEONE. She wished she had more friends or even people she felt comfortable with. Actually, she wished she could just hide in her quarters and watch the old movies she used to watch all the time with Suki. It might not make her feel better but it would be time she was spending with her friend. Maybe not the healthiest release…she had no idea what was healthy or not. How were you supposed to react to news that someone you had loved was gone? Probably not by sitting there staring at a screen and listening to the murmur of 1s and 0s.

Perhaps in some ways it was an intrusion to reach out to the younger woman like that. But as the Head Psychiatrist, it was sort of her job to do exactly that. It only served to make things easier for her to do so, being a Betazoid had advantages and annoyances. That wasn't to say she abused her abilities. But when it came to the safety of this crew she would do anything to see to it that they were well taken care of. Even if that meant the occasional invasion of the mind.

It's best not to argue. Pamela warned mentally keeping her words within the mental realm so only Tryssaria heard her. Thankfully the younger woman agreed.

The Commander nodded and allowed the Ensign to go without questioning Pamela.

Once the two were out of earshot she gave the woman a soft look, "Spill what's bothering you?" Pamela didn't add that she'd poke around in her mind if she had to. That was the last resort but it would if she had to. "I admit you and I don't know each other well. But with all due respect from one Betazoid to another, your emotions are loud." She pointed out matter of factly.

Trys' face crumpled and she had to hold her breath for a moment to let the tears fade away. She didn't really want to talk about it but there was nothing else to do, she supposed. "I...I..." She began but couldn't make herself continue as her throat closed up and tears began to roll silently down her cheeks. She cried for a few moments in abject misery and completely unable to formulate a voice or even a thought. The only thing she was thinking was her friend's name. Suki. I'm going to miss you so.

Finally, she brought herself under control and began mentally. "M...my friend, Suki." Her face crumpled again and she waved at her face to keep the tears at bay. "She died. I just...got a letter from her parents. We..." Even her mental voice was taut with agony. "We went to the Academy together. She was my first friend."

She bit her lip. "I'm sorry to be so loud." She truly WAS sorry to be so loud. She really hadn't wanted to talk about this until she had a little time to process. But...it was going to have to happen eventually. At least it was with another Betazoid who might understand her emotional turmoil.